Groomless - Part 3 (15 page)

I waited on the street as the limo pulled up. When Luke stepped out, I couldn’t stop staring. He smiled widely, and I knew immediately that I could never be just friends with a guy that hot. He was dressed casually, in a brown pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt that clung to his muscular body. I was dressed in a white summer dress.

When I slid into the plush leather seat in the back of the limo, Luke poured me a glass of champagne.

“You’re spoiling me,” I said.

His gaze met mine. “I haven’t even begun.”

I stared into his eyes, mesmerized by his words. “To a great evening,” I said, holding my glass up for a toast.

He grinned, and we clinked our champagne glasses. “And to whatever’s next,” he said.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise,” he said.

“You know I always hate surprises.”

“Julia…”

“Just one teensy little hint?” I asked.

He sipped his drink and leaned back. “What’s the most picturesque, romantic way to see Central Park?”

“You’re kidding! Really? A horse and carriage. That was on our bucket list.”

“We’re gonna spend this weekend doing all those things we wrote down so long ago.” He reached in his pocket and handed me a folded sheet of notebook paper.

My eyes lit up as I read it, written in our high school handwriting. I was flattered and touched that he’d held on to that list for so many years. “You kept this?” I exclaimed. “This is amazing!”

He nodded and handed me a pen. “You can check off at least one already.”

I smiled from ear to ear as I placed a checkmark beside “Take a horse and carriage ride through Central Park.” It was all so thoughtful and romantic, and I never would have expected to spend my weekend that way, checking off a bucket list that I thought was ancient history. “I’ve never experienced New York this way,” I said.

He grinned. “Then it’s about time you start.”

The horses were lined up along Central Park South, between Fifth and Eighth Avenues. We walked to a fancy, burgundy carriage that was pulled by a gorgeous white horse. Luke escorted me to a wonderful man, who smiled and introduced himself. I could tell the guy really cared about his job. He broke the ice with a few jokes and by introducing us to White Beauty, an astoundingly beautiful animal who looked strong, healthy, and well cared for. Sal gave us some carrots and corn to feed the horse. I walked up to the horse, and he grabbed the carrot out of my hand with a loud grunt. I jumped back, and Luke giggled at me. He held out his hand and the horse devoured the corn. Sal, a first-class gentleman who treated us like royalty, even offered to take pictures for us.

“He’s so friendly,” I said, petting the white horse.

Luke patted the animal. “He’s absolutely beautiful.”

“He’s licking my hand!” I squealed in laughter.

Luke held out his hand to help me into the carriage. I wasn’t wearing a white, fluffy gown like Cinderella, but I sure felt like her.

We took off and kept a steady rhythm as the horse clippety-clopped. Sal pointed out historical landmarks and famous movie locations. We passed by Conservatory Water, the Wollman Rink, the Imagine Mosaic, the Conservatory Garden, the Central Park Reservoir, the Bow Bridge, the Central Park Carousel, Belvedere Castle, and the Central Park Zoo. The coachman pointed and said, “Former Beatle John Lennon lived there.”

I couldn’t stop smiling, and I had the best time. I often stared into Luke’s blue eyes, and I loved the sound of his laugh and the look of that gleaming smile he flashed at me time and time again. I knew then that nothing was lost between us, even after all those years. We would always get along, no matter what we’d been through. We had too much history to just throw our relationship away.
If fate is demanding us to be together, who am I to fight it?
I had to ask myself.

“We should go down to the small pavilion by the lake for some nice photos,” Sal suggested.

“Sounds wonderful to me.”

When we stopped, Luke helped me down. Sal spread rose petals out on the ground, and a saxophone player came out of nowhere and  began playing a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite songs.

I looked around me in awe, stunned that one of my New York fantasies from long ago was coming to life right before my eyes. Luke had remembered the roses and the sax player, and I was amazed by that; I’d only mentioned it once, during one of our late-night conversations so long ago. He even remembered the song, and with every note the sax player belted out, my heart skipped a beat. Luke knew money could never win me over, because I wasn’t that kind of girl. He knew how to touch my heart, to tap into the things that really mattered to me, and he impressed me with that. I was so blinded by my fear, afraid to take another chance with him, but I now knew Luke was worth the risk.

“I figured we might as well practice our reception dance,” he said.

I smiled up at him as he held his hand out.

“Would you care to dance, milady?” Luke asked.

“I’d love to, my prince,” I jested, secretly wishing Liz was there to hear it.

He held me close, and we started to slow dance under the glorious sunset. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and a smile grew across his lips. I relaxed and enjoyed the emotion and closeness. Sentiment and sweet nostalgia stirred inside me like a raging storm, and I could tell by the dreamy look on his face that it was thundering inside him too. I’d so missed being held like that, and it felt so wonderful to be in his arms again. It was the most amazing feeling to gaze into my old lover’s eyes and know that he still truly cared. My eyes welled with tears when his love for me reflected from those blue pools that I’d dreamt of so many times.

Being so close to Luke brought back all those old feelings, even more feelings than when we’d shared our recent intimate encounter. There was something even more precious about being held by him out in public, about swaying to that sweet melody while I was cradled in his strong arms.

After taking some time to admire the spectacular lake and posing for several more pictures in front of that amazing backdrop Sal had suggested, we returned to the carriage. Sal spread out more red rose petals on the seat for me, and I truly felt like a princess. He even lit a candle in a lantern as a symbol of our relationship, and that made tears well up in my eyes. We finished the ride under the lights of New York City, and by the time I finished my champagne and Sal finished reading a beautiful poem, I was in a fit of heartfelt tears.

“Thank you, Sal and Luke, for one of the most memorable times of my entire life,” I said.

Flashes of light began to blind me, and I looked off to the left and realized that Sal’s camera was not the only one; a huge gathering of men and women were snapping pictures of us from every angle. 

“Just in case you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to have the paparazzi on your trail, this is it,” the coachman said with a chuckle.

“Stupid press,” Luke said. “We can’t let them ruin this wonderful moment.”

“I won’t let them.”

We said goodbye, and Luke put his arm around me as we rushed back into the limo to escape the flashing cameras.

Inside the limo, I looked at Luke, deeply touched and so moved by all that he had done for me.

He cupped my face and wiped the joyful tears from my eyes.

“How can you ever top this?” I said. “It was so beautiful, absolutely magical.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed the ride.”

“No fancy restaurant you could take me to would be as special as what you just did.”

“Oh yeah? Just look on the list.”

“The list?” I reached into my purse and pulled it out. “There’s no restaurant.”

He pointed. “Yes there is. Look closer.”

“’Hotdog vendor’?” I read and chuckled out loud. “Oh my gosh. I forgot we put that on the list. It’s silly, but wanted to eat a hotdog from a hotdog cart in New York City.”

His eyes lit up. “Still ketchup, extra mustard, and onions?”

I gripped his hand. “Yes!”

We drove around for a bit before the limo dropped us off. Luke reached for my hand as we walked, and a shiver shot up my spine. After we stopped by a hotdog cart and promptly got our food, we found a bench to sit on. We laughed, kidded, and talked about old times, and I giggled like a teenager when Luke wiped a blotch of mustard from the corner of my mouth. The conversation never went dead, and I was pleased to see that our spark was still lit. 

We casually walked to the middle of Times Square, at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue between 43
rd
and 44
th
Streets.

“Okay. This is the spot,” he said.

I cocked a brow. “For what?”

“We’re missing something.” He rushed over to a man selling flowers and bought a red rose, then hurried back over to give it to me.

“Thank you, but, uh…what are we doing here?” I asked, looking around.

He smiled. “Better check the list.”

I reached in my purse and read through the list to see what would fit. “A kiss in the middle of Times Square?”

“We can exchange it with a hug if you want,” he said.

“But that’s not what’s on the list.”

“What do you suggest we do?”

“Follow the list to a T.”

And with that, he wrapped his arm around me and dipped me, then kissed me softly on the lips. I saw fireworks, and I knew right then and there that my fake groom was the man I really, truly wanted in my life. I was about to lose my father, but as Luke held me in his arms that day, I knew I would never really be alone.

A smile crept across my face, broader than any smile I’d ever worn before.

Chapter 10

Back at Luke’s place, things escalated. He held my hand as he stood from the couch, pulling me up onto my feet and spinning me around so my back was pressed against his chest. He gestured to the large windows in front of us.

“You’ve gotta check out this view,” he said. He walked behind me, almost pushing me along with his hard chest. He stopped moving only when I was right up against the window, just inches from pressing my nose against the cold glass.

“Wow. It’s absolutely gorgeous,” I said, taking in the view.

“It is,” he said, “but it’s still nowhere near as gorgeous as you are.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

He leaned closer, his words still echoing through my mind. Just being in his presence was like a soothing balm, capable of calming me, making me feel safe. At the same time, though, he turned me on. He was truly incredible, and I couldn’t help but be so much more aware of my own skin when I was near him; even the slightest touch from him sent goosebumps up and down my arms. I shivered and pressed myself harder against the glass.

I stared out at all of New York, admiring building after building as the lights glimmered against the dark, velvety night. Even that was not mesmerizing enough to keep me from noticing when Luke brought his hands up to my shoulders and lifted my hair up to expose one side of my neck and ear. His breath was hot against my skin as he leaned down and pulled me against him. His hands began to roam, gently caressing me.

“You know, this skyline would make the perfect background for next month’s shoot with that perfume ad,” I said. “My boss loves city girls in the sunset.”

“Well, I’d be happy to loan out my house, if you’d like to arrange to do the shoot here.”

“Really? That’d be great, Luke. I’ll ask her. She usually prefers outdoor photographs, but she might make an exception with a view like this on the table.”

Luke nodded and began to kiss my shoulder, so softly that I wouldn’t have noticed if my body wasn’t so hypersensitive to even his lightest touch.

His lips brushed over my bare skin between my neck and dress strap. He trailed soft kisses up my throat, then nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. His hands continued their exploration of my body under the white fabric of my dress. It felt good but torturous; while I loved his touch, craved it, I was annoyed and exasperated by the thin barrier of fabric between us. I wanted to feel his naked skin against my own and didn’t want my nerves dulled by the cloth of my dress, even though the light, flowy summer material wasn’t very substantial.

“You smell good,” he breathed.

“It’s the perfume you bought me.”

“Mmm. It makes you even more delectable than you naturally are, if that’s even possible.”

He turned me so my back was against the glass. I looked up at him, and he lowered his face to mine. For a few moments, we just looked at one another, not succumbing to our desire to kiss. His luscious lips were so close that I could feel the warmth radiating from them. Finally, as if to relieve me of the pressure building inside, he very slowly brushed his lips against mine. I opened my mouth to kiss him, but he pulled, till he was just out of reach. He repeated that same teasing torture again and again; every time I tried to kiss him, he pulled away. Finally, I just stood there and let him nuzzle his lips against mine. When he stopped, we just continued standing there like statues, with our mouths touching but not kissing. He let out a deep breath and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me as close to him as he could, till the entire length of my body was pressed against his. His lips crashed against mine again, but this time, he returned my kiss with a ferocity that let me know how desperate he was to reconnect with me, how much he had missed me after all those years. I wrapped my arms around that strong neck of his and lost myself in those kisses.